The Gates: Digging the Dirt
"Digging the Dirt" is the seventh episode of season one of the supernatural-themed television series The Gates. The episode first aired on ABC on Sunday, August 8th, 2010. It was directed by Fred Gerber and written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe. In this episode, Sarah tries to establish an accord amongst the various socialite cliques within The Gates with disastrous results. In an effort to get some leverage against Frank Buckley, Nick Monohan and Dylan Radcliff conspire to dig up some dirt from Buckley's past, only to find themselves stuck in the middle of a murder investigation. Meanwhile, Brett Crezski learns the truth about what Andie truly is. Synopsis & Dylan conspire against Buckley.]] Nick Monohan is asleep in his bed suffering from a nightmare. He dreams that Dylan Radcliff has broken into his home and has attacked his wife Sarah. Nick awakens with a start and goes downstairs where he finds Sarah on the telephone with Claire Radcliff. Sarah is trying to put together a party and is convincing Claire to attend. Nick grabs a piece of toast, kisses Sarah goodbye and heads off to work. Once he's out of the house, he calls Dylan and has him meet up with him in a secluded spot in the woods. Nick is worried about the hold that Frank Buckley now has over them. Unwilling to be at Buckley's beck and call, he proposes getting some dirt on him so Dylan and he will have some leverage against him. Nick shows Dylan a file concerning Buckley's old business partner, a developer named W.R. Harrison who died a few years after opening The Gates. Reluctantly, Dylan agrees to involve himself in Nick's scheme. At Gates Academy, Andie Bates goes into the restroom and makes a telephone call to Doctor Peg Mueller. She tells her that the medicine she prescribed is producing severe side effects and she is having difficulty dealing with them. Peg tells her to continue taking them. She swallows two pills then goes out into the hall where she runs upon Charlie Monohan. Charlie tries to talk to her, but Andie brushes him off. He doesn't understand why she's suddenly giving him the cold shoulder and Andie refuses to explain herself. Nick goes to the Devon Day Spa to speak with Devon Buckley. He wants to ask her questions about Frank Buckley and Devon is only too quick to help out if it means Frank getting into trouble with the law. Nick begins asking her about W.R. Harrison. Devon tells him that Harrison was Frank's business partner before a fall down a flight of stairs ended his life. When he died, Frank gained 100% control of The Gates and all profits relating to it. Nick brings this information to Dylan who has been conducting his own research. He feels that if Buckley were somehow responsible for Harrison's death, there's not indication of it so far as his financial instruments are concerned. If anything, Frank seems to be underpaid. He shows that Buckley's CFO, Lloyd Foster is in charge of managing The Gates' profits, nearly all of which goes to The Gates Trust. Nick and Dylan decide to pay Lloyd Foster a visit. At the school, Andie grows even more agitated than before. Brett Crezski comes over to her, asking to know what is wrong. She tells him that she is fine, but doesn't want to speak to him. Brett presses the issue, but Andie tells him to leave her alone then walks off. She goes back into the bathroom and throws away the rest of her pills. & Claire try to enjoy the party.]] Meanwhile, Sarah Monohan holds a pool party in her back yard and invites all of the socialites from The Gates, including those who are not known for getting along such as Karen Crezski and Claire Radcliff. Karen and Claire exchange their usual barbs while Vanessa Buckley asks Sarah how she even managed to get them to attend the same function together. Things get even more heated when Devon shows up. Claire cannot handle her presence and decides to leave. Devon talks to Sarah and tells her that Nick stopped by the spa asking about Frank. She then offers Sarah a box of her special blend tea. Karen, using her heightened senses, overhears the exchange and walks over to Devon. Devon makes a crude comment and Karen repays her by bumping her into the pool. Sarah shakes her head and begins to realize that her party is quickly becoming a fiasco. Nick and Dylan go to see Lloyd Foster who goes into detail about the relationship between Frank Buckley and W.R. Harrison. He tells them how Frank and Harrison had a big falling out shortly before his death. Nick asks him for a copy of the records for that year, including Harrison's will. Harrison agrees to help them in any way he can. The two men then go to the offices of The Gates Trust, but Buckley's office appears to be empty aside from some files and several months worth of backed up mail. Nick begins searching through the files, but quickly realizes that The Gates Trust is nothing but a shell company. Dylan is familiar with this sort of racket as vampires frequently set up small dummy ventures such as this whenever they need to forge new identities for themselves. Establishing a brand new life can be quite costly. This makes Nick wonder where all of the profits from The Gates are being funneled to, but moreover, he wonders if Harrison is even dead at all. Some time later, Sarah goes over to Devon's place and apologizes for the incident at the party. Devon offers her a cup of tea, which Sarah graciously accepts. Once she begins drinking the tea, Devon begins asking her questions about Nick's investigation into her ex-husband. A blank look comes over Sarah's face and she begins revealing details relating to W.R. Harrison and his will. After learning everything she needs from her, Devon drives Sarah back to her house. Devon then contacts a boy she met online identified as beastlyboy (real name Henry). She arranges for Henry to meet up with her. They go to Devon's house where she seduces him. At Gates Academy, Brett continues to bother Andie about what has been wrong with her. Their words attract the attention of Charlie Monohan who attempts to intervene. Brett and Charlie fight, but Charlie cannot compensate for Brett's enhanced physical strength. Finally, Andie convinces them to stop. She runs to Charlie's aid and it is then that Brett notices the dark veins spreading across Andie's shoulders. seduces Henry.]] That evening, Nick and Dylan go to the cemetery to exhume Harrison's body to see if he is actually dead. They dig up the remains and confirm his identity, but upon closer inspection of the skull, Nick determines that he was not killed from a fall down a flight of stairs. Dylan returns home, but Claire instantly recognizes the smell of the grave upon him. She asks him where he's been and Dylan tells her about Frank Buckley and the video. She asks him what he wants in return, which is their silence and cooperation. He also tells her about he and Nick's plan to get leverage on him. Claire thinks this is a disastrous idea and that in the interest of protecting their family, it would be better if he simply cooperated with Buckley's wishes. The next day, Charlie is walking to school sporting a black eye. Mia Mueller comes up to him and tries to cheer him up. She supports his decision to pursue Andie even if it means earning himself a few bruises from the jilted boyfriend. At the police station, Nick tries to telephone Dylan when Frank Buckley walks into his office. He tells him that he has made some serious missteps and he needs to halt his investigation. He tells him, "When are you going to realize you've got a good thing here? So stop screwing it up." Nick flat out accuses Frank of murdering Harrison. Frank denies the allegation, citing that Harrison was like a father to him and that he would never harm him. Nick says that even if what he says is true, someone murdered W.R. Harrison. He asks Buckley to let him do his job and bring his murderer, whoever he may be, to justice. At Devon's house, she and Henry have sex then take a bath together. The two sweet talk one another and Devon waits until Henry is in a position of complete vulnerability. She then pours a potion into the bath water, which instantly paralyzes him. She says, "What I need from you... are your eyes", then pushes him down into the water. Claire returns home and finds a dozen long stem roses sitting on a table. The card indicates that they are from Christian Harper. She flies into a rage and throws the flowers against the wall. She then leaves him a voice mail, telling him that his behavior needs to stop immediately. Karen Crezski comes over to the house uninvited, but Claire is in no mood for her games. Karen tells her that she saw Devon driving Sarah home from the spa and thinks that she has been feeding her the tainted tea and that it is beginning to have an effect on her. She suggests going to confront Sarah together. The go to the Monohan residence and hold an intervention. They ask Sarah how long she's been drinking Devon's tea, and warn her about its unpredictable properties. Andie is walking through the woods when she comes upon Brett. She doesn't wish to speak with him, but Brett asks her to give him just two minutes. He tells her that she knows that she is different and says that he can relate to her fear. He reveals that he too is something other than human. Andie begins to explain to him exactly what she is. Meanwhile, Nick comes up with own theory as to who killed W.R. Harrison. He believes that Frank is innocent, but after re-examining who would have control of Harrison's investments once he was dead, he concludes that the killer must by the CFO, Lloyd Foster. Buckley goes to The Gates Trust office and finds Foster preparing to destroy some incriminating files. Lloyd turns on him and shoots Frank in the shoulder. Nick busts into the room and draws his gun on Lloyd. Foster wonders how Nick knew that he was the killer and Nick reminds him that he talked about the description of crime scene photos that were never released to the public. Foster is arrested and Buckley is taken to the hospital. Nick returns to the police station to file his report when Vanessa Buckley walks in. She knows that Nick was considering leaving The Gates, but asks him to stay. Nick wants to know why there are so many secrets in the community. She reveals that Frank Buckley created The Gates to protect people with special needs, namely Vanessa, who now reveals herself to be a vampire. At her home, Sarah Monohan is shocked by what Karen and Claire had told her about Devon. She throws away Devon's tea, but begins to realize that she is growing addicted to it. She pulls it out of the trash and begins brewing it. In her private parlor, Devon begins collecting materials that she has gathered from the other residents including Claire's blood, a facial peel mask and Henry's eyes. She uses them as components in a black magic ritual. Cast Principal Cast Guest Stars Notes & Trivia * Production code number: 20100808. * Includes a recap from previous episodes. * Leigh Turner and Marcus Jordan do not appear in this episode. * This episode establishes that Frank Buckley is definitely not a vampire. * Brett Crezski appeared last in "The Monster Within". * Mia Mueller appeared last in "Breach". * Frank Buckley showed Nick Monohan and Dylan Radcliff the video recording of Dylan killing Teresa Goodwin in "Jurisdiction". * Actors Frank Grillo and Josh Pence share the same birthday, June 8th (albeit twenty years apart). * Dylan Radcliff makes a reference to Richard Castle. Richard Castle is the main character featured in the procedural drama Castle starring Nathan Fillion. Both shows are broadcast by ABC. * Presumably, Sarah drove to the Devon Day Spa to speak with her, which presents the question of why Devon had to drive her back to her house? * Behind the scenes appearance of Christian Harper. Christian was last seen in "Jurisdiction". * Karen Crezski makes a joke about not needing permission to enter a house, "unlike some people". This is a reference to the vampire tradition that states that a vampire cannot enter a person's home unless invited in by the proper owner first. However, The Gates does not necessarily suscribe to this tradition as there have been several instances where Dylan has entered a personal residence without being invited. * The nature of Devon Buckley's actions in this episode are revealed in "Bad Moon Rising". Quotes * Sarah Monohan: Eyes open. Always wear your vest. Call for back-up. I love you. * Chief Monohan: Actually, I wanted to ask you a few questions about your ex-husband. * Devon Buckley: Frank? Please tell me he's in lots and lots of trouble. .... * Sarah Monohan: Hey, Leigh. You came! * Leigh Turner: Yeah. And I brought Margueritas. Figured you'd need 'em. * Sarah Monohan: I am so glad, I didn't think you'd be into this sort of thing. * Leigh Turner: Watching stressed out trophy wives get catty with underfed divorcees? Who doesn't love that? .... * Leigh Turner: You invited Claire Radcliff and Karen Crezski to the same party? * Sarah Monohan: Yeah. * Leigh Turner: Oh, this is going to be good. .... * Sarah Monohan: I swear Devon, I'm never going to understand this place. * Devon Buckley: It's the mysteries that make life interesting. .... * Henry: How'd I get so lucky? Someone like you with a mutt like me? * Devon Buckley: I picked you because you're not like the other boys. You're different. * Henry: I don't know about that. * Devon Buckley: Don't worry. Different is exactly what I'm looking for. You can show your true self to me. .... * Claire Radcliff: Anything you want to tell me? I smelled you when you came in the door. I smelled you. .... * Charlie Monohan: I got my ass kicked. And that's not even the worst part. I was trying to protect Andie. But she acted like I did something wrong. I don't get it. * Mia Mueller: Look, I don't know what's going on with Andie lately, but I know she cares about you. So don't give up. * Charlie Monohan: If you say so. * Mia Mueller: I definitely say so. .... * Claire Radcliff: It's good to have someone like you at the Gates, Sarah. Someone who doesn't have the prejudice that the rest of us carry around. See also External Links Series links Episode links * * * * * "Digging the Dirt" at the Horror House * "Digging the Dirt" at The Gates Wiki References ---- Category:2010/Episodes Category:Episodes with plot summaries